Lonely
by Chiba.Kun
Summary: [Twoshot, NearxMello Fluff] Both stories were written for friends. Second one deals with an Original Character, sorry for my crappy writing.
1. Near

"Where's Mello?"

For a while now Near had been walking around looking for his 'shadow,' as some called it. The person he'd always beaten, who hated and loathed him, but who had always been there, it seemed. "Linda? Have you seen him?"

"Why do you want to know so badly?" The girl opposite him asked. "I haven't seen him all day. I don't think anyone else has, either."

"I know, I asked around quite a bit…" Near admitted. "You're right though, nobody's seen him, not even Matt."

"That's odd, aren't they always playing around together?" She asked.

"Yes, that's why I found it strange too. I guess I'll go look for him again…"

"Good Luck!" Linda said as she watched the white-haired boy leave. _I thought they hated each other,_ she thought. _Maybe I was wrong. Never know…_

Near wandered through the hallways of Wammy's House, alone and full of thought. _What could have happened? Did he go out somewhere? Why won't anyone tell me? Why didn't Mello tell me?_

"Maybe I'll go play by myself for a little while…" He muttered. "Since Mello isn't around." He came to his room after a few minutes, and smiled weakly at the many different toys scattered about the floor. He sat down on the floor and picked up one of the puzzles he had finished. He turned to board it was on upside down and all the pieces fell to the floor, all the colourful pieces that alone made nothing, but together they made something beautiful, but you had to strive to get the whole picture. Sometimes it would take days on end, sometimes a matter of minutes…

Fitting the first two pieces together.

Piecing those with other ones.

Connecting them all.

Pretty soon the puzzle was finished. Near smiled as he looked down at it, and he moved his hands over the rigid surface. Satisfied, he pushed that puzzle aside and proceeded to play with a few of his other toys, making some robots fly through the air or cars speed away from buildings made of Lego…

------

Pretty soon Near found himself talking to Linda while finishing another one of his puzzles. "Hello, Linda," He greeted, hearing her footsteps on the other side of the doorway.

"First Mello disappears, and now you?" She asked. "You two planning something?"

"No, I've been looking around for Mello all day, remember?" Near replied absent-mindedly as he pieced together two more puzzle pieces. "I even asked you where he was."

"Right… so you came in here by yourself to play without telling anyone?"

"Yes…"

"We all thought you'd gone missing too, Near," she snapped.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to worry anyone."

Linda laughed. "Can't say the same for Mello though, 'cause knowing him, it was probably on purpose." Near shrugged, mind ablaze with questions.

"It's almost tea, I'll call you when its done, okay?" Linda said.

"Okay."

"See you." With that, she left the doorway so Near could be alone with his puzzle and his thoughts.

_Maybe he did leave on purpose. Will he come back? Did he do this so I'd get upset? Maybe he wanted me to feel bad, and that's why he left…_

Near frowned. His puzzle was finished, but the big picture was still unclear. Where was Mello, and what was he doing? Why was he doing it?

"I'm getting too serious about this," Near muttered to himself. "Does it really matter so much?"

He would have liked to tell himself 'No, it doesn't,' but to him it really did. He had grown attached to Mello, following him around almost like a puppy would its master, and he enjoyed pestering Mello to play with him and his toys. On the rare occasion Mello would give in, Near let him be in charge, choosing what game they'd play and how they'd play it, just so Mello wouldn't get fed up and leave in the middle of the game. He wasn't sure if Mello enjoyed it or not, but he must have considering he did say yes and play sometimes. Thus letting Near have his way. If he enjoyed it, then how come he suddenly ran off? Maybe he didn't like it, and just played to humour Near, but no, if he didn't enjoy it, he wouldn't say yes at all… Then, perhaps, he did like it and just said no to tease Near and make him feel bad. It was Mello, after all…

"Near," Linda called, stepping into the room. "It's tea time!"

"Coming," Near replied, nodding. He got up and followed her to get his meal. Just as he turned a corner, his eyes widened in shock. "Mello?" He gasped. "Is that you?"

"Near?" The blonde boy asked. "Of course it's me. Where have you been?!"

"In my room. Where have _you_ been?"

"Out in town. I got back a few minutes ago. I've been looking for you."

"Why?"

"I… uh, I brought you an ice cream. I knew you like it, so…"

"Did you bring me this because you felt bad about leaving me here?"

"No way!" Mello snapped. "It's melting, so take it!" He held out his hand, and in it was a cone topped with light, soft vanilla ice cream. Near just blinked, staring at it, then look up to stare at the one holding the cold treat.

"Don't you want it?" Mello taunted. "If you don't take it, I'll eat it myself." Near still didn't say anything, but watched helplessly as Mello took a lick of the frozen cloud in his hands. As he brought his tongue in, Near noted that he had some ice cream on his lips.

"See?" Mello taunted. "I warned you." Near grinned.

"What are you staring at?!" Mello snapped. Near shrugged and took a step closer to Mello, who blinked. _What is this kid doing?!_ He wondered. Near laughed and took Mello in his arms quickly, tightly embracing him in a friendly hug. He then touched his lips to Mello's playfully, and the two boys closed their eyes in bliss.

When Near broke off, he too now had traces of ice cream on his lips. He licked it off, smirking. Mello's eyes grew wide as he took a few steps back, leaving Near alone once again.

"Found him," Near whispered, kneeling down to where the ice cream cone had fallen. "I found him."


	2. Mello

Stretching as he sat up in bed, Mello switched off the alarm clock resting on the table next to the bed. For a while now he had been planning to go out into town to have 'A day of excitement' or 'a much needed break from the orphanage.'

He slipped out from under the covers, and took out some clothes for the day. He put them on quickly and effortlessly in spite of him still being half asleep.

Quarter to twelve.

_Is Near awake?_ Mello wondered. _Maybe I should bring him along._ He had gotten used to his little shadow following him around all day. It would be strange not to have him around; Then again, he needed time to himself. Near always bugged him about playing together…

------

Mello knocked on the door of Near's room gently and entered quietly. Near was apparently still asleep. He could hear the deep sighs of slumber in front of him, and Mello smiled. _He looks so innocent when he's asleep, all curled up with himself under the covers…_ Mello couldn't bear to wake him up. Who knew someone as annoying as Near could look so cute and childishly innocent when he slept?

Mello stepped outside the door and shut it as quietly as possible, hoping not to wake the boy sleeping inside.

------

As he opened the front doors of the orphanage, he wondered what he might do outside. He did have a few friends out there from the last time he left, but not many. Would they even be out today?

_I'll go to the Nina Rose café._ He thought. It was one of his favourite places to hang out.

He walked down the street, suddenly craving a sweet and milky chocolate bar. He decided to top by one of the corner shops. As he pushed open the door a few bells could be heard. He recalled when Near asked if the two of them could come in here because he liked the soft ice cream they sold and the sound of the bells when the door opened. Of course, back then they were much younger. Did Near still like that sound? He hadn't been out at all since then. Did he even remember it?

"Hello there!" The clerk greeted Mello as he put his favourite brand of chocolate bar up on the counter. "One of the Wammy children?"

"Yeah," Mello said. "Why?"

"I seem to remember you coming here before. It was a long time ago, but I remember. Where's your friend?"

"Oh, he's back at the orphanage… He doesn't come out much."

"He was the one who liked the ice cream, correct?"

"Yeah."

"And you're his chocolate eating friend."

"Yes," Mello said. Oh, how hearing that peeved him! For one, he and Near were _not_ friends, but rivals. For another thing, he hated being called 'Near's chocolate eating friend/accomplice/shadow.'

"It's been at least two years since you came here," The man said. "If I remember correctly, you're going to need more chocolate than that."

"Right…" Mello pulled out a ten pound note. "How many can I get for this?"

"Nine and a half. I'll give you the other half at a discount though."

"Thank you, sir." Mello said. He went and fetched nine more bars, and paid for them accordingly.

"Come back again, okay?" The shopkeeper called after him. Mello nodded. "I will, for sure."

------

Chocolate in his mouth, Mello was now satisfied. He walked down the busy roads by himself, making his way to the Nina Rose café. He wondered if his friend was working there today. Probably not, but hey, it was worth a try, right?

He was amazed at how long it took to finally arrive at the café. It was nearly three o' clock! He'd been out since noon, too. Maybe he had taken a wrong turn somewhere?

He pushed open the doors and a faint smell of tobacco floated through from the kitchen to mix with the smells of pasta, tomato sauce, coffee, soups and many more scents of food. "Oi, Mello!" A girl called from behind a counter. "Been a while! Take a seat; I'll be with ya in a moment."

"Sure thing," He called back to her. He stepped over to the counter and took a seat, watching her walk off with someone's order. Mello waited patiently for her to come back. "Sorry 'bout that," She called, returning. "I'm working, so what else can ya expect?"

"Right," Mello said.

"So, where's your friend? I think his name was Matt?" She asked.

"Clara, I know you fancy him already, so drop it."

"I do not!" She snapped. She tossed her brunette hair aside, out of her eyes. "I think my eyes are more for you. Where is he?"

"I left him back at the orphanage; I needed a day out to myself."

"Ahhh," She sighed. "Makes sense. That kid bugging you again?"

"Near?"

"Was that his name?"

"Yeah. I left him behind too, he was asleep so…"

"You wanted him to come along?"

"Well, no, not really …"

"Huh?"

"I feel bad about leaving him behind I guess, he's been following me around like a puppy," Mello admitted. It felt so strange to say, but it was true.

"And you couldn't wait for him to wake up? I'd like to meet this kid."

"I… I guess I could have…"

Just then, someone calling from the kitchen interrupted them. "Clara!" He called in a thick Italian accent. "Come get these orders and bring 'em to the customers!"

"Sorry, Mello, Duty calls," she said. "It's busy today… Looks like I'll be held up a while."

"No worries," Mello said. He was a little relieved. Clara got on his nerves easily. He was hoping that Adrian would be on duty. Adrian was an old friend of his, who he recently discovered to be working here.

Mello took out another of his chocolate bars and began to peel off the wrapping.

_I could have waited for Near to wake up. It never crossed my mind… It's too late now anyway… unless I went back? No, it would take too long to go there, tear him away from his toys and bring him over here just to hang out with me. No way, it's too troublesome. I wonder what he's doing now… playing with his toys? Puzzles? Or maybe he's looking for me._ Mello smirked, satisfied with that thought, and bit a piece off his chocolate bar.

"Three thirty. I'm on my break now," Clara said. "I have to stay here though, since we're so short handed."

"All right, doesn't matter to me," Mello muttered. He bit off some of his chocolate bar.

"Still eating all that chocolate? You'll get fat like that, you know."

"Get me a milkshake," Mello snapped, ignoring her previous comment. "Chocolate."

"Fine, whatever." She turned to a blender behind the counter, threw in some chocolate ice cream and milk, and finally some chocolate syrup. "The chocolateiest milkshake ever made," She said. She stuck in a straw in put whipped cream over, handing it to him.

"Two pounds," She said. Mello paid quickly, and took a sip. It was almost too sweet for him, but not quite. He decided to leave when the clock on the wall struck four, because he knew back at Wammy's house they'd be eating just after 5:30.

"something on your mind?" Clara asked. Mello shook his head. She knew better, but didn't ask. "All right then."

"What else do you do these days?" Mello asked her. She answered with a quick, "Nothing but watch my little brother and sister. They're such pains sometimes."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, my brother always asks me to play with him, stupid things like pirates. Not much fun for me," She said. "He has that weird pirate obsession…"

"And your sister?"

"Never lets me on the phone."

"Oh." It was just then that Mello realized that Near was like a little brother to him. They were always competing for attention, and Near never ceased to bother Mello. Mello did as Near asked sometimes, but often he'd just refuse and want time to himself.

"I should get going soon," Mello said, finishing his milkshake and chocolate bar. "I think they're having their tea back at Wammy's House soon."

"Okay. Be good," She said, waving as he left.

"Four fifteen…" Mello muttered. "I have just enough time…"

He began to run down the roads, determined to get back before they began to eat. Past all the shops, past the bustling crows, through the traffic…

He slowed down by the corner shop he'd been in before. He opened the door again, greeting the old man behind the counter. "back again?" he asked. "Out of chocolate already?"

"No, I want to get this for that kid back at the orphanage. He likes it a lot." He ordered a vanilla ice cream cone, and paid the man. "Thank you sir!" He called, leaving quickly.

Five fifteen.

"Perfect," Mello said. He pushed open one of the doors, entering the vast building. Luckily, Near was right in front of him. He gasped, mouth dropping. "Mello?" He asked. "Is that you?"

"Near?" The blonde boy asked. "Of course it's me. Where have you been?!"

"In my room. Where have _you_ been?"

"Out in town. I got back a few minutes ago. I've been looking for you."

"Why?"

"I… uh, I brought you an ice cream. I knew you like it, so…"

"Did you bring me this because you felt bad about leaving me here?"

"No way!" Mello snapped. "It's melting, so take it!" He held out his hand, and in it was a cone topped with light, soft vanilla ice cream. Near just blinked, staring at it, then look up to stare at the one holding the cold treat.

"Don't you want it?" Mello taunted. "If you don't take it, I'll eat it myself." Near still didn't say anything, but watched helplessly as Mello took a lick of the frozen cloud in his hands. As he brought his tongue in, Near noted that he had some ice cream on his lips. "See?" Mello taunted. "I warned you." Near grinned.

"What are you staring at?!" Mello snapped. Near shrugged and took a step closer to Mello, who blinked. _What is this kid doing?!_ He wondered. Near laughed and took Mello in his arms quickly, tightly embracing him in a friendly hug. He then touched his lips to Mello's playfully, and the two boys closed their eyes in bliss.

When Near broke off, he too now had traces of ice cream on his lips. He licked it off, smirking. Mello's eyes grew wide as he took a few steps back, leaving Near alone once again.

"That was… unexpected…" Mello muttered. "He's crazy… Last time I ever do something like that for him."

Needless to say, it wasn't.


End file.
